Shane Bond’s contract to play for English county Hampshire this season has been called into question because of the player’s links with the ‘rebel’ Indian Cricket League after officials warned it would be taken into account when assessing his registration.

Former New Zealand quick Bond, 32, signed by Hampshire as early-season cover for Shane Warne, and Pakistan’s Rana Naved, due to play for Yorkshire, featured in November’s inaugural ICL.

The price of Soyabean oil varies at different city markets in Chittagong though the government and the traders fixed the selling rates of edible oil until March 9 to contain the overheating market.

Earlier the mill-gate price of soyabean oil was fixed at Tk 103.50 and palm oil at Tk 96.50 per kg while the maximum retail price of soya bean oil was capped at Tk 106 a kg and that of palm oil at Tk 99.

We cannot but be concerned about the process of protecting rights and dignity of the disabled though Chief Adviser to military controlled interim government observes that the job is both a challenge and obligation for all. If past experiences are any indicators, such consultations could drag on for months, even years, before they lead to any concrete recommendations, let alone any substantive actions.

The Election Commission has rejected calls by most political parties to ban groups using their Islamic identity to contest elections.

The demand came as parties held a second round of talks with the commission to discuss preparations for parliamentary polls the country's army-backed interim government pledged to hold around the end of this year.

Frenzied art lovers have forced the government of Bangladesh to order a public display of ancient artefacts next week to dispel doubts the invaluable relics could have been counterfeited while in France recently for an exhibition.

A consignment of 42 artefacts arrived in Dhaka earlier this week from the Guimet Museum in Paris, which borrowed it from Bangladesh for an exhibition.

The Election Commission will announce the schedule for four city corporation elections next month aiming to hold the polls at the end of April.

'We will announce the schedule next month for elections to four city corporations and hope that the government will create an environment enabling the people to go for electioneering,' chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda said during the second round of dialogue with the Jatiya Party on Monday.

A Dhaka court on Wednesday asked the Anti-Corruption Commission to submit by March 30 the report on the investigation into the Barapukuria coalmine scam case filed against the detained former prime minister Khaleda Zia, 10 of her cabinet colleagues and five others.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate M Golam Rabbani passed the order after accepting the first information report sent to him by the Shahbagh police.

The Iranian ambassador in Dhaka said that big nations should apologise and compensate for the damage they have caused by inflicting embargo on that Islamic nation for its 'peaceful nuclear programme', since the IAEA's recent report has proved that Iran does not want to make nuclear weapons.

'The recent report of the IAEA chief has proved the peacefulness of Iranian nuclear activities and shows that Iran's attitude to its nuclear activities is legal, transparent, responsible and foreseeable,' said Hasan Farazandeh, the Iranian ambassador, at a press briefing in his residence on Wednesday afternoon.

A total of 197 candidates are in the running for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Nobel Institute said on Wednesday, with the Algerian president, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, ex-German chancellor Helmut Kohl and Esperanto known to be on the list.

'This is the second-highest number in the history of the Nobel' Peace Prize, Geir Lundestad, the head of the Nobel Institute, said, recalling there were 199 nominees in 2005.